Tilt indicator



March 26, 1935. e. E. GENUNG TILT INDICATOR Filed 'June 8, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet lfizyi INVENTOR fl e111: 8'

anal/K, 2671929611 ATTORNEY March 26, 1935. G. E. GENUNG 1,995,919

TILT INDICATOR Filed June 8, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

v ATTORNEY,

PatentiedgMar. W a

. .T IL'r- INDICATOR v Glenn 'E. Genung, Detroit, Mich;

unnli ationliuncis, 193e, scr al no. 674,882. '1 1 I 4 8 l i kO1-.. '*1i4) V The present invention relates to devices :ior The leads to the'meter-from;1connection 23 are detection of the tipping or tilting of other mechshort pipes 24. screwed into the connection andanisms; and specifically to tilt indicators I01 gas: fixed tov the meterby' couplings, one of which is meters. indicated at 25, which couplings are thencovered The conventional gas' meteryand there are of by housings '26 and '2'lfixed in. place .andzsealed 5 course other'mechanisms having the same'charas. at. 28' toprevent unauthorized disturbance. acteristic', is so constructed that, although. it zlThese housings. areshownas iormed ofiwo i functions properly when properlylplaced. in: an parts 26a and 26b, and 27a and 2lbpthe latter upright position, it tilted or tipped morethaii three beingidenticalinform while part 26a is a few degrees from thevertical, does not act as offspecial'formrbeing provided With a lateral 0 it should, F th if th meter or other mechlargem'ent 32 in which is e smallywindow 29. and anism is tilted and subsequently restoredto its also with'a depending half-s eeve 2 a-eXtB di proper upright position, there is no indication. p y u d inlet conduit Zl to Prevehttum? ofsuch tipping or tilting havingocourred. ing-the housing a r installation; I

Anmng the objects 0f the 1 present invention The preferred formof. the'tiltindicator 1 s illllS? 15 therefore isv meanszto provide an indication of t ate in Figuresi2 13015; and sists a l. such'tipping .or tilting... 2 p l f i casing 30; roughlypyramidal inform and hollow Another object is means toprovide an easily with its; base open and covered with'a sheet 31 visible indicator of tilt-and 'one' that requires of t n a s mica, the

removal of parts in order" to restore the indicator, Wh Casing pt t i fio itab 20 thereby securing permanenceof-the indication, guides 0 in he enlargementzii'l, up h in at least'until a properly authorized. restoration before Window 9 In t is low Cas .3 is made. is a: small ball or bead 35 ofsuitable non-magnetic I Other objects will readily occur to those skilled mateflal preferably of a color which contrasts in the art'upon referenceto the followingdescrip- With the inside Of t asing. p v m t ccompanying drawings in which 4 It will be noted from Figures 3 :to 5 that the" Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of a gas ls of the'space' inca i gBO are ofv such meter with the tilt indicator'in position; I. J t at ba l 35 may rest i -e t e of tw p o ure 2 is a frontelevation; of .the indicator} a ie 40I'that h fl. n the andhousing on' an enlarged'scaleand showing a 18321381 p ition it is". visible th l 1 30. portion ofa meter, g 7 While in that ofFiguref4 it isgabove-the window.

. Figure 3 is a horizontal section on line 3. -3 of These. walls areformed 'to provide two pockets Figure 2. r AeandB 'dividedifrom eachother by a septum C Figure 4 is a vertical section of the indicator and h v g ir floors p g wa d toward as if on line 4-4 f Figu Ie' 3,1 I theirear, as. indicated best,,-inFigures 4 and 4a,. 5

Figure 4a is aaview similar to Figure 4 .but t0 the p o ptum: Candi-with t e T100101? showing the indicatorinia difierent position. pocket A n inward pcoket B. v Furv Figure 5 is afront. elevation of the indicator. 1 0 fl p B d s t 19 p- Figure 6 is a front elevation of the m t r dial warddirectly from the bottomthereof but from.

' housing showing a modified form of indicator. a p int-a v the bottom so s toilarovida-a' 40' Figure 7 i se'ctiono 1mg 7;7 of Figure sortoftraptoretain the'ball against displacement I Figure 8 is a front elevation of thedial hous y pp the glassvor m f ont 31. 3 ing showing another form of indicator. The angle of Slope of the floor of pocket B is Figures 9 and 9a are sections on. line 9-9 of not of great consequence but the angle of slope Figure 8 showing two positions of the indicator. [of the floor of pocket A should be not less than 45 Figure 10 is a front elevationof yet another about 25 from the vertical and it is preferred form of indicator. to make such angle over 45 and up to 60 or I ures 11 and 11a are sections on line 11--11 even 75 from the vertical, to provide for detec-- of Figure 10 showing this form of device in two tion oftilting of the meter through an angle of positions. i Y 15 or more. Of course, an angle of the floorof 50 i .In the drawings aconventional gas meter is pocket A may be even more nearly horizontal and f indicated at 20 being provided with the usual inlet arranged to detect, tilting of even 1, if desired. r and outlet conduits 21 and 22 respectively, adapt- With the indicator as described,tilting'the meter ed to be secured to the meter connection 23 formwill result in rolling the ball 35 out of pocket A '55 ing part of the permanent plumbing installation. into the rear of pocket B and subsequently rej turning the meter to" the'vertical will cause the the same as that already described but is modified I order'to increase visibility; I

ball to drop into the front of pocket B where it will be visible through window 29 and not returnable without detaching the housing 26.-

I The tilt indicator of Figures 6 and 7 is much topermit mounting behind the dial glass. -In

this form the casing 30a is of small depth and the, f chamber containing ball a correspondingly modified. As shown, this form is secured in place in the dial housing 49 behind the. glass cover 41 and visible therethrough. 9

The operation is substantially the same as that of Figures 1 to 5 but resetting necessitates the removal of the meter. v 1

Another simple form of indicator as shown in Figures 8, 9 and 9a, consists of a metal strip 45; of trapezoidal or othersuitable "shape hingedly mounted in supports 46 behind the dial glass 41' and ordinarily in the position shown in Figure 9, in which it .is swung up and rests againstglass 41' at asmall angle to the vertical; If .the meter is. tilted, the strip is'moved over beyond the ver-t tical and immediately drops to the position shown inFigu're 9a. It is preferredgtocolor 'thatface of-stri'p 45exposed-inthe-positiongof Figure 9a, as red",".in-

some bright contrasting color, such Still another form .of indicator as shown" in Figures 10, 11 and 11a mayfconsist of a flag 50',- ordinarily maintained in a raised position'hidden from sight behind the dial housing51, by means of a weighted lever 52.'- .Thefiag istpivote'd; at.

' v 53 and has an extension 54 coabtingwith a.por-' tilted, theweight on lever 52 causes-the lever to ticn 55 of lever 52."- Whn, however, the meter swing out of the path of 'portion 54 to theposition of Figure 11a and permit the fiat todropto the dotted llliGfPOSitiOIfOf Figure 10,in which it is clearly visiblethrough' glass 41;

Now having described the invention. and the preferredembodiment thereof, itis to be under fstood'that said invention is to be limited, not

to the specific details herein set forth, butonly "by the scope of the claims, which follow:

1: What I claim is:

' 1. 'A- tilt indicatorffora meteriorsthe'like com'-'- prising a casing adaptedto be secured'in a fixed position relative. to said meter, a freelyflmovable element in said casing, said casing being pro ,v ided with means defining two rest positionsfor said element said defining means includingfbot! .toin walls arranged :at an angleitoLthe' vertical whereby said element remains at rest until the casing isftilted and means for trapping saidele-o ment in one of thetwoypositions.

p "2; In a. tilt indicator, a 'casing, a rollable tell tale element therein, and supporting and runway port-ionsfor said element withinithe casing and defining two rest position pocketsconnected by runway portions, both of saidpockets being at the foot of the runway portions when the device is in upright position, and guiding means -for directing the telltale member into a different one of said pockets whenever the device is returned to upright position after having been tilted sufilciently'to displacethe telltale from apocket in which it isinitially positioned.

3. In a tilt indicator, a casing, a rollable telli a tale element therein, and supportingand runway portions within the casing including two rest position pockets a, plurality: of interconnected runways, one of which-terminates ateacho f'said pockets, each pocket being-at the foot of a rung way portion when' the device is in proper upright position, and blocking and guidingmeans defining a portion of Said runway system for dierecting thetelltale to a different pocket and preventing its return to the first whenever the device is returned'to upright position after having been, tilted sufiiciently to displace the telltale from that pocketin which it is initially placed.

Iniatilt indicator, a-casing,fa'rollable telltale elementtherein, and supporting and runway portions within the casing and including an -ini-.

tial rest position pocket'within which the telltale may-bepositioned, a runway for thetelltale connected'to the pocket and' down which .the tell-3 tale may run when the device is tilted, the pocket in proper, upright position, and a blocking portion for' preventing-return of the. telltale to saidpocket upon re-righting the, deviceaftertilting it sufficiently to,displa ce the telltale from the pocketn P being; at thefoot of the runway when the-device:

5. Acombined coupling thousing and tilt-indi catorhfor; gas meters comprising a. sheet metal coupling housing haVingfixed therein means for; i meter tilting and provided vvithg v coacting with meterstructur'e ito prevent-improper ,manipulationbf said housing-M'- q 6; In; aycoupling housing, an enlarged rtioh providing a chamber having a-window therein, a. tilt indicator, and ,means in said housing ,for

fixing in position before said window said tilt? indicator.

, '7; In a'couplingzhousing, a laterally-extending enlarged:portion having a chamber th'erein with a window, in one :wallthereof; a tilt indicator housed in s aid'enlargedi-portion and, having: means, observable fromoutsidefof said chamber, to indicate whether .ornot; saidchamber and:

coupling have been tilted."

1.; a: In combination, with a gaswmeter: hav ng! a saidmeans. GLENN E. GENUNG'.' j 

